Silent Night
by KathyBoPeep
Summary: Old story that I revamped. Not entirely happy, but no death or anything. You may remember seeing it before. :)


Christmas carols rang throughout Beacon Hill as streetlights flickered on, signaling to the children that their curfew was near. The Holiday spirit was in full force, with many houses lit from top to bottom, and little nativity scenes taking residence in front yards. The whole town of Boston seemed to smell of gingerbread and mint, making bellies rumble and mouths water in anticipation of many goodies to be had. It was Christmas Eve and soon, children would awake to presents galore and parents would look fondly on as their children sung their praises. Couples held hands and hearts intertwined as they watched skaters glide around the pond. It was the season for joy- for most families that is.

Wind whipped through her hair and burned her eyes as she ran through the woods, clinging to Jane- her anchor. She knew that they were running on only adrenaline. They simply hadn't eaten enough to propel their tiny bodies through the woods. Maura, a tiny wisp of a girl, kept up a kept a firm grip on Jane's hand as she barreled through the dense brush. Briefly, she wondered what month snow usually fell, she hadn't gotten that far in school when they'd been stolen

The cold, hard ground stung her bare feet as she jumped over logs and skidded across a disgusting mix of ice and dirt.

Maura Isles has been missing for the last 10 years. Likely forgotten, as she wasn't given a lot of time to make an impression on this Earth. Still a child when it happened, Maura had only just ventured out into society, when it was all taken from her.

_She had always been a petite girl, frequently she was taunted and teased. After turning six years old, Constance's gift for her was to independence. The first privilege given to her was the ability to walk the two blocks to school by herself. Maura had taken the alleyway to try and save time. She walked right by a white van, too preoccupied by the time to notice. Growing up, her mother had always warned of vans with no markings. Once she spotted if out of the corner of her eye, she ran the rest of the way to school. _

_Maura was scared all throughout the day, so her teacher asked a hall monitor if she would walk her home. She was a 6th grader named Jane and no one messed with her so Maura knew that she was safe. _

_The, solemn brunette had held her hand as they walked out of the school and onto the main road. Once they had made it to the end of the block, the pair relaxed. Suddenly, Jane grabbed her hand and pulled her aside, hard. Maura looked up startled, and gasped when a man jumped out of the scary van, which was hidden across the street, and ran towards them. Jane had put up a good fight, but Charles Hoyt was still too strong for 12 year old girl._

That's how they ended up in the cave.

The cave was the basement of Charles' house. They had accepted it as their home. It was dark and damp and had smelled like rotting wood. Eventually Jane had figured out how to open the little window and air it out. Many times they'd tried to escape, but their keeper was sure to check on any noise that came from their room.

Jane was almost 13 when they were taken, twice Maura's age, and had become the only source of information and knowledge, which wasn't all that much considering she'd only been in elementary school.

A wayward branch tore into Maura's cheek, alerting her of their surroundings once more. The wind stung and bit her wounds as they raced towards the last bit of light before it disappeared over the hill. It was getting dark quickly, which meant it would get very cold. The blonde was only clad in a thin cotton nightgown that hadn't been washed in nearly a year, and was a bit too short. It was a gift, a birthday present, when she "turned" 11 years old 5 or so years ago.

Poor Jane was only wearing a shirt and panties, she had been on her weekly "date" with Charles while Maura lay in the cave. Confined to an old mattress shivering because Jane had left the window open and the small girl had not grown enough to reach it.

Jane had burst through the door with a split lip and had grabbed her friend without a word. Maura knew though, it was _time_. Together they had taken off, not even stopping to test. They ran for what seemed like hours, away from that wretched place with terrible memories that had housed them for the last decade.

Numerous things had happen to the girls over those years, none of which they knew the names for. Charles Hoyt was a sick, sick man.

Maura had been considered a genius, a child prodigy, ten years ago but had become nothing but a under-educated 16 year old girl who barely remembered my full name. As they ran through the woods, she tried to remember her parents, with no luck. All she could remember was Jane fighting tooth and nail to defend them.

The corner of the smaller girl's vision start to blur as her legs became unsteady. She leaned into Jane for support and soon the brunette had wrapped a thin arm around her. Peering ahead Maura could see lights in the distance. With burned feet and strained muscles, the duo limped forward.

Jane, whose feet were slowly turning a dark red from the cold, stumbled and never once cried out. She had learned early on that crying did not good, and yelling got you punished.

They could only barely read the signs ahead. Jane had taught Maura how to read and write but both had kind of forgotten considering they never used the skills Charles would get very upset if they did anything other than nod.

As they approached, panting and shivering, gasps and screams came from the people of the town. Jane and Maura stumbled onto the street, too cold and scared to do anything other than hug each other and cry.

They had found people, they would be safe.

Were their families there?

Did they still love them?

Where were they?

Was this home?

Kind people gave them their shoes and clothes as walking the two girls towards the nearest open store.

~~•~~

"Ma, Maaaaaa. It's okay. I don't think Janie would be upset that you forgot to put up her stocking this year!" a sullen Frankie Rizzoli whispered to his wailing mother. She has failed to remember to hang up the stocking that represented their unwavering hope that their family would be complete one day. That their missing member would be found.

Angela had only been thinking of how many sweaters she needed to knit, and had been absolutely crushed when Frank Sr. asked where the hell Jane's stocking was.

It wasn't that everyone assumed Jane was dead that bothered Frank Sr, it was the fact that no one knew where she and that Maura girl had gone. No one ever talked about the little blonde girl anymore, her parents had just up and left after it happened - not even stopping to pack up their house. No one even remembered that Maura Isles existed so, every night before bed, Frank made sure that he said a prayer for them both, calling them his little girls.

Angela wailed once more, hiccupping slightly. With bloodshot eyes and a tear-stained face, she curled up into her husband, who also might have shed a tear. Tommy waltzed into the room, late as usual, and felt the tension that had etched itself on the faces of the rest of the Rizzoli clan.

At a mere 16 years old, Tommy didn't remember much of his older sister. Jane had been the one to teach him how to hit, or how to ride his bike. But, when he had started kindergarten, she had disappeared. Tommy still felt awkward when the rest of the family talked about her, especially when they were in town. False pleasantries were old news and people had moved on to silent looks of pity.

He sat down next to his Ma and wrapped his arms around her, tucking his head under her chin. Angela placed a kiss on his head, and Frankie messed up his hair. It was moments like this where they truly felt that Jane was alive somewhere, she had to be; they would feel it if she wasn't.

The house phone rang loud, tearing everyone out of their silent thoughts. No one wanted to move from their mass of love and tears so they all waited for the machine to pick it up.

"He-hello? Ang, Frank, I think we found her! I think Jane just walked out of the woods with baby Maura! Oh my god guys, get to the diner, get to The Robber!" Murray's voice rang out as the Rizzoli's just looked wide-eyes at each other. They ran, foregoing coats (Frankie even skipped putting on socks) and bolted out the door, too anxious to wait for the car. Besides, the diner was only 3 blocks away.

Frankie, being a fit 18 year old man, sprinted at top speed, slipping slightly on the black ice littering the uneven sidewalk. His tears didn't even have time to fall as he whipped around the corner.

Without even checking for traffic, Tommy blazed across the street, hot on his older brother's heels. Angela and Frank Sr. weren't too far behind. Angela had a harder time staying upright, she couldn't handle all the emotions running through her right now.

Eventually they came up to the doors of the restaurant, where it seemed the whole town was waiting to get in. When they spotted the sprinting boys, they parted without question.

Frankie pushed his way through the door and burst into the room with a roaring "JANIE!?"

Jane had been holding Maura and rocking back and forth as people she didn't know tried to touch her and hug her. She hadn't been around this many people in ten years and her fight or flight instincts were kicking in. Her feral eyes were darting back and forth, coming up with an escape route for her and Maura.

Poor Maura was so scared, she was trembling in Jane's arms. She had no recollection of anyone here, and had no idea where she was. All that she knew is that she was cold, hungry, and that she and Jane were out of the cave.

When Jane heard her brother's voice, she looked up suddenly and was shocked. The little boy that she had taught to tie his own laces was a tall, square jawed man. Little Tommy, a gangly-limbed teenager, skidded right behind him. Jane barely recognized them, it had been over a decade. But their warm brown eyes, and teary smiles made Jane feel like no time had passed.

Angela flung the door nearly off its hinges and cried out. Her baby, her precious baby, was about 6 foot tall and maybe 80 lbs. Her big, brown eyes seemed dull and sunken into her gray skin. Her hair was matted and tangled, hanging far past her tiny waist. Her arms looked like bones, and you could see the muscles in her arms twitch as she held baby Maura. Baby Maura and her beautiful golden hair that hung in dirty locks in her smudged face. Her legs trembling, exhausted from their escape from their prison. Her red eyes were focused on the group surrounding them. Obviously, they both were not used to so many people around and it was making them uncomfortable.

"GET OUT!" Frank Sr. bellowed to the group surrounding his girls. He herded them into his embrace, making sure that no one bothered the little booth the girls had taken residence in. He stroked Jane's wayward hair while whispering to Maura that she was safe here and they were good people. Frank backed off once the crowd had dissipated and just looked at his girls, alive and safe for now. The police had yet to arrive, so he quietly kneeled down to Maura's level.

"I know it's scary, but those people over there have missed Jane and missed you too. I'll be they're really excited and want to come hug you, is that ok?" Frank whispered, motioning to the family on the other side of the counter crying and hugging each other.

Maura nodded slightly and clung even harder to Jane as she was bombarded with a warm feeling that she had been missing for a long time. They would be okay. They were safe and loved, and most of all...they were together.


End file.
